A JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTS IN FOOD, HEALTH AND HEALING

Kim and Ricki's SOS Challenge for the month of October is almost over, and I've been tweaking this recipe for you all over the last week in order to slip it in at the last moment. It is a wonderfully savory snack that could serve well as either a light lunch or an hors d'oeuvre.

These lovely crisps are adapted from a recipe found over at Book of Yum, and for any of you that have unsuccessfully warmed to the flavor of amaranth flour, I feel confident that these deliciously buttery-tasting crisps will win you over. Toasted sesame oil rounds out the earthy kick of the flour, and helps give it a full flavor that tastes rich and satisfying even without the toppings. For anyone new to the gluten-free diet, amaranth flour is an exceptionally nutritious flour to add to your arsenal. It can be pretty pricey at stores if you buy it pre-packaged; I purchase mine in bulk at our local co-op instead for under $3/lb.

The seed "goat cheese" is extremely forgiving, and I make various versions of it weekly. This was the first time that I added sesame oil to it, and I was blown away by the flavor! I'm so excited for you to try it!

Burdock root is a fascinating ingredient that I've only recently introduced into my diet. For over a year, I have been avoiding fructose and fructans, as they exacerbate a great number of my symptoms (see Fructose Malabsorption), but for the sake of diversity and curiosity, I've tried a few vegetables and roots lately that I've previously outlawed. Burdock has a very high level of inulin in it, which is excellent for most bodies, and is consequently added to many foods and supplements to increase their benefits, and to sweeten without the negative effects of sugar. It also encourages healthy intestinal bacteria, which is why most probiotics also include inulin. (For those who have to avoid it, it can be a real pain to find ones without. I take these.) Aside from the fantastic health benefits that many of you can enjoy, the flavor is incredible, too. I've heard it compared to artichoke hearts; I find it has the kick of lightly fermented veggies, and when shaved in this way, the natural bitterness of the root is tempered somehow.

Your challenge here is to not eat the whole recipe single-handedly. Best of luck to you!

PUT ALL DRY INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHEESE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR FITTED WITH AN “S” BLADE, AND TURN ON. (MINE HAS ONE SETTING…MED/HIGH?) OCCASIONALLY STOP, SCRAPE SIDES OF BOWL WITH A SPOON AND START AGAIN. WHILE GRINDING, PUT 2 TSP OF TOASTED SESAME OIL AND LEMON JUICE INTO A BOWL. TAKE A VEGETABLE PEELER AND PEEL THE OUTER SKIN OF THE BURDOCK ROOT OFF. NOW LIGHTLY PEEL THE FLESH OF THE ROOT INTO THE BOWL, MIXING THE SHAVINGS IN WITH THE OIL AND LEMON TO MARINATE AND TO PREVENT BROWNING. SHAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN; AFTER A POINT IT BECOMES TOO AWKWARD TO PEEL ANY FURTHER. ADD ¼ TSP BLACK SESAME SEEDS, MIX AND SET ASIDE. CONTINUE TO GRIND THE SEEDS. IN ANOTHER BOWL, MIX THE AMARANTH FLOUR, SEA SALT AND FENNEL POWDER, ADD THE WATER AND OIL, MIXING THOROUGHLY, AND SET ASIDE. THE SEEDS SHOULD BE GROUND AS WELL AS CAN BE (SEE PICTURE FOR REFERENCE), AND CAN BE ADDED TO A BOWL WITH THE WATER, LEMON JUICE AND OIL. MIXTURE WILL BECOME MORE GELATINOUS AS YOU MIX.

(L) GROUND SEEDS, (R) AFTER MIXED WITH WATER & OIL

AMARANTH ROUNDS BEFORE ENTERING THE OVEN

ONCE THE OVEN IS PREHEATED, CUT SOME PARCHMENT PAPER TO FIT YOUR BAKING SHEET, AND FOLD THE EDGES SO THAT IT SITS FLUSH WITH THE BOTTOM. USING A SPOON, DROP THE BATTER ONTO THE PARCHMENT PAPER AND THIN OUT IN A CIRCLE WITH THE BACK OF THE SPOON, SO THAT EACH ROUND IS ABOUT 3 INCHES WIDE. PLACE IN THE OVEN. ONCE THE EDGES ARE LIGHTLY BROWNED, REMOVE FROM THE OVEN. GENTLY WORK THE SPATULA UNDER EACH ROUND AND FLIP. SPOON A DOLLOP OF THE CHEESE ONTO EACH ROUND, AND SPREAD IT A BIT. PLACE BACK IN THE OVEN, AND REMOVE ONCE THE BOTTOMS ARE SLIGHTLY BROWNED. IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THEM FROM THE PAN, AND PLACE THEM ON A COOLING RACK, OR THEY WILL LOSE THEIR CRISPINESS.

PLACE SHAVED BURDOCK ON EACH ROUND, AND SOME RADISH SLICES FOR EXTRA FLAVOR AND COLOR.

YOUR REWARD

MAKES ABOUT 10 3 INCH CRISPS

*MY POOR ANTIQUE OVEN IS ON ITS LAST LEGS, SO DESPITE SETTING IT AT A LOW TEMPERATURE, THESE WERE MADE AT ABOVE 500 DEGREES FARENHEIT. FOR THAT REASON, I’M UNABLE TO GIVE YOU EXACT TIMES AND TEMPS. MY APOLOGIES! JUST STAY CLOSE; THESE ARE SMALL AND THIN, SO THEY DON’T TAKE LONG!

2
comments:

This is an INCREDIBLE recipe! Those crisps look totally irresistible--so many flavors and textures all in one place! I've never tried burdock (and wow--who knew it had so many health benefits?) but must now. Adding the sesame oil to the cheese is, I am certain, the perfect touch of smoky and savory. And they are gorgeous! Thanks so much for this amazing submission to the Challenge--glad you got it in under the deadline! :D

Oh, thank you so much Ricki; I really appreciate your feedback! Burdock root is an excellent ingredient to introduce to your repertoire...I can't wait to see what magic you work with it. Please let me know if this recipe makes its way into your belly!

Post a Comment

Through exploration in cooking and herbalism, I hope to continue to learn, heal and to share with you the fruits of my experiments.
Recipes shared here will typically be free of gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, corn, soy, yeast, peanuts, and many other common allergens and ingredients that I won't bother listing.